Flaky Sea Salt – Sea salt flakes from Iceland

Saltverk Flaky Sea Salt, the crunch from the Westfjords

Saltverk Flaky Sea Salt in a 90-gram jar consists of pyramid-shaped salt flakes from Iceland, hand-harvested and boiled using pure geothermal energy. A finishing salt to crush between your fingers – crunchy, clear, and mineral.

Saltverk Flaky Sea Salt is the pure heart of the Icelandic salt producer from Reykjanes in the Westfjords: seawater from the North Atlantic, boiled with water from hot springs, and harvested by hand. There is nothing else in it – and that is exactly what you taste.

Crunchy, clear, and surprisingly mild

The thin-walled pyramids break between the fingers like thin ice and crack audibly on the tongue. On the palate, the salt reveals itself as clear and clean, without any bitterness, with a mild, almost sweet minerality.

Many chefs describe the taste as deeper and richer in umami than other sea salts – an echo of the cold, clear water of the Westfjords. The flake salts more gently than its size would suggest: it dissolves slowly and distributes its seasoning layer by layer.

The pyramid shape is no accident, but physics with patience: during the slow boiling process, the crystals grow on the surface of the pan into hollow, thin-walled pyramids – the calmer the water, the finer the walls. Industrial salt does not have this shape because it requires time that only craftsmen take.

Crushed over buttered bread, eggs, and roasted vegetables

Salt flakes belong on the finished dish, never in the cooking water – they only reveal their texture on the plate. Crush a pinch over good buttered bread, a soft-boiled egg, fried fish, or roasted vegetables, and the difference is immediate.

When we have guests, we like to make it a little ritual: the jar goes onto the table, and everyone crushes their own flakes – over tomatoes, over burrata, over the last piece of bread with olive oil. In this way, salt turns from the background into the star of the show, and dinner is given a conversation starter.

Sweet things also love this flake: caramel, chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream – salty and sweet are old friends. The 90-gram jar sits right next to our stove; those who salt with their fingers daily should reach for the 250-gram box. You can find more crunchy relatives in our Salt Flakes category, and its soft sister in the Fleur de Sel section.

Boiled with geothermal energy, harvested by hand

Björn Steinar Jónsson has been boiling his salt flakes since 2011 in Reykjanes, a remote place in the Icelandic Westfjords, about 400 kilometers from Reykjavík. The method dates back to the 17th century, when salt was once produced there using geothermal energy – Björn revived it, becoming the first in the world to do so 100 percent geothermally.

Hot spring water at about 97 degrees heats the open boiling pans; the seawater evaporates slowly, and as soon as white crystals appear, the hand-harvesting begins. "We add nothing and take nothing away," is how Björn describes the principle – unrefined, without additives, without shortcuts.

The story has a beautiful arc: in 1783, the eruption of Laki ended the historical salt production that had once been established by the Danish king – in 2011, Björn brought the craft back, and in 2017, the salt was at DILL when the restaurant earned Iceland's first Michelin star.

Today, the result is found in Michelin-starred kitchens and seasons the bread at Hart Bageri. In our pantry, it sits alongside other treasures from Saltverk – and for those looking for something smoky, try the Birch Smoked Salt. This is what Iceland tastes like!